Index.



No. 650,244. Patented May 22, 1900. H. A. HAUSINGER.

l N D E X.

(Application filed Sept. 12, 1899.)

(No Modei.)

INVENTOH A TTOHNEYS r a NORRIS PETERS cu. PnoYauTuumvnsumemu u c NITED STATES PATENT Orrion.

lNDE X.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letterslatent No. 650,244, dated May 22, 1900. Application filed p mber. 12,1899. Serial No. 730,208. N model- To (0 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY AUGUST HAU- SINGER, of Galveston, in the county of Galveston and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Index, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

7 My invention relates to indexes, particularly to those adapted for use with ledgers and other business-books.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and compactindex in which the avail able space will be utilized as perfectly as possible. To accomplish this end, I have devised the improved index hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, which is a broken View of an indexsheet embodying my invention.

In carrying out my invention I employ a sheet divided by a network of intersecting lines a and 1) into a series of horizontal rows and of vertical columns. By a speciallyprominent horizontal line a the sheet is further divided into two distinct parts or sections. Of the vertical columns the first, c, (and, if desired, also the last,) contains syllables indicating the beginning of words, and it will be observed thatin the upper section (1 (above the line a) such syllables or reference-marks consist of two letters only, (Hwy in the last horizontal row meaning Hw and FHyf) while in the lower section d the syllables or reference-marks consist of three letters. The vertical columns 0 to the right of the column 0 contain, consecutively, the letters of the alphabet, as shown, each letter being in the upper portion of the corresponding square or space, and in most of these spaces the lower portion contains a printed number e, indicating, for instance, a folio of the ledger, or said space may be left blank for the insertion of the proper entry e by the bookkeeper. In some of the spaces of the upper section 01, however, the lower half of the space, instead of being left blank or filled with the number e, contains a designating character, preferably a numeral, as at f, such character being generally produced in a distinguishing color-for instance, red-and to prevent confusion the numerals used as such designating characters have been indicated in the drawing by double lines. There are as many of these characters in the upper section (2 as there are horizontal rows in the lower section (1 belonging to the same letter. Thus in the index-sheet for the letter a H, as partly shown in the drawing, the lower section (1 is sup posed to contain fourteen horizontal rows, only three of which are shown; but the arrangement of the entire sheet will be readily understood from the further description presently to be given.

In the lower section (1 each of the designating characters f appears again in the same vertical column with the corresponding character of the upper section at and in that horizontal row which corresponds to the let- 1 ter in that space of the upper section in which said character appears. This will be readily understood by reference to the examples shown in the drawing. Thus the first designating character f, the numeral 1, appears in the Ha, horizontal row of the upper section d under the initial L. "By following the same vertical column down to the lower section (1 the designating character will be found in the Hal horizontal rowof the lower section (1, said .Hal row being the first from the top. The designating characters 2 3 4. are found, respectively. in the second, third, and fourth horizontal rows of the lower section and correspond to the reference-marks Ham, Han, and Har, respectively. It will be readily understood that the fifth horizontal row of the lower section d would be for Has, the sixth for Hay, the seventh for Hei, and so on, as indicated by the arrangement of the designating characters f in the upper section d.

In making entries on my improved index (in case blank spaces are provided) those spaces of the upper section 01 in which there are designating characters f will not be filled, (a mistake is impossible, since there is no room for any entryin such spaces;) but all entries which would come into said spaces are made in the proper spaces of the lower section cl. I desire it to be understood, however, that I preferto print the numbers e so that no entries need be made on the index, thus saving considerable time and labor. The numbers e will of course difier, according to the capacity of the ledger or other book.

The manner of looking up an entry by 2 a v I 650,244

means of my improved index will be obvious; Let us suppose it is desired to find an entry relating to Haddan. First we find 'the Ha row in the upper section d, and then we follow'said row to the space with the letter D.

row to theletter Lfthere is found thedes ignating character 1, an thenthelbookkeeper follows the vertical L column to below the line a, where he will find the designating character 1 in the first horizontal row and in the Lspace of said row, where the entry 363 ."indicates that the matter re latingto Hall is entered on page 363 of the ledger 'or other book. Similarly, if the name is Hamilton, the designating character 2 is found in the M space of the Ha row,

and continuing on the vertical M column" to below the line a the same designating character 2 is found in the second or Ham horizontal row, where, following to the left until the letter I? is reached, the number 366 is found, indicating the page of the ledger or other book on which the matter cona cerfiing Hamilton is entered.

' It will be seen that the index is extremely simple in construction and use and that by a; thorough utilization of the available space I secure great compactness and save much labor v I i Whil'e'l have shown the reference characters Ha, He, &c.,arranged ina vertical column and the initials arranged in longitudinal rows in an analogous manner to other indexes, it will be obvious that the arrange ment may be reversed without I departing from the nature of my invention, and I desire it to be understood that the claims are to be interpreted as covering such reversal.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 'as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 7 1. an index made in two sections having a series of'parallel rows with a reference mark orsyllable for each row, the reference-marks of one section being the same as some of those of the other section,but with the addition of a'letter' thereto at the end, and a series of colunins crossing all the rows of both sections and containing letters in alphabetical succession and numbers corresponding to the peg:

' ing of a ledger or other book.

In this space wefind the entry or syllable for each row, the reference-marks of one section being the s'a'meas some of those of the other section, but with the addition of" a letter thereto at the end, and a series of columns crossing all the rows of both sections and containing letters in alphabetical succession, the spaces formed by the intersection of the columns and rows being also adapted to'contain numbers corresponding to the pag- ;in'g ot a ledgeror otherbook. r M An index madeinjwo sections having a series of parallel rows with a reference mark or syllable for each row, the reference-marks of one section being the same as some of those of the other section, but with the addition of a letter thereto,- and a series of columns crossing all the rows ofbo'th sections and containing letters in alphabetical succession, sundry of the spaces or squares inthe section having the shorter reference-marks, being provided with designating characters, andeach designating character being repeated in that row of the other section (having the longer reference-marks) in which the additional-or final letter of the reference-mark is identical with the letter of the alphabet which appears in the same space as saiddesignating character in the section having the shorter referencemarks.

4. An index made in two sectionshaving a series of parallel rows with a reference mark or syllable for each row, the reference-marks of one section being the same as some of those of the other section, but with the addition of a letter thereto, and a series of columns crossingall the rows of both sections and containing letters in alphabetical succession,- sundry of the spaces or squares in the sectioiihaving the shorter referencemarks, being provided with designating characters, and each desigating character being repeated inthat row of the other section (having the longer reference-marks) in which the additional oi-rfinal letter of the reference-mark is identical with the letter of the alphabet which appears in the same space as said designating character in the section having the shorter referencemarks, each two corresponding designating characters appearingin the same column common to both sections.

HENRY AUGUSTHAUSINGER. 

